Shubman Gill has officially been named the new captain of India’s Test team, marking a significant step in the ongoing generational shift in Indian cricket. If he leads the team in the opening Test against England on June 20, he will become the fifth-youngest Test captain for India at the age of 25 years and 285 days.
BCCI Consulted Rahul Dravid Before Appointing Shubman Gill
According to recent reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took inputs from Rahul Dravid, the former India head coach, before finalizing Gill’s appointment. Dravid has played a vital role in Gill’s development — first mentoring him during the U19 World Cup win in 2018, and later guiding him through his early years in the senior Indian side from 2021 to 2024.
“𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑮𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍,” 𝒂 𝑩𝑪𝑪𝑰 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝑯𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔.
Leadership Built Over Time
Gill’s elevation to the Test captaincy wasn’t an overnight decision. He had already been integrated into leadership roles, serving as vice-captain in white-ball formats in 2024, and was Rohit Sharma’s deputy during India’s Champions Trophy 2025 triumph.
His leadership credentials have been further strengthened in IPL 2025, where he’s captained Gujarat Titans (GT) with maturity. With one league match remaining, GT sits at the top of the table, and Gill has played a major part with the bat — scoring 636 runs in 13 matches, including six half-centuries.
Despite a moderate Test average of 35, selectors are backing Gill to lead India long-term. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar stated that Gill’s appointment isn’t for a short stint, but part of a bigger plan for the team’s future.
The young batter has shown that captaincy doesn’t hinder his personal form — a promising sign for Indian cricket moving forward.
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